Problem gamblers often state they are not comfortable sharing in a group setting. What they are feeling is an intense level of fear associated with the thought of sharing their gambling experiences with a group of strangers, since many have not spoken honestly about their gambling behaviour for years. Moving a client from individual to group counselling within the same facility and with the same counsellor can be difficult enough at times, but now you’re suggesting they attend an entirely different organization.

Here are some helpful tips in helping a client reduce the level of fear associated with attending their first Gamblers Anonymous meeting.

• Make sure your client understands you are not abandoning him or her. You can do this by continuing to see him or her on an individual basis to monitor the effectiveness, positive or negative, that GA is having on his or her recovery.
• Sometimes gamblers will say, “What if I see someone I know at the meeting?” It is important for the client to know that everyone at the meeting is there for the same reason and that members of GA have empathy for one another based on personal experience. All new members are welcomed unconditionally.
• Clients need to know that no one in GA is going to tell them what to do. More important, if they choose not to speak at a meeting, that is their right. The only requirement for GA membership is a desire to stop gambling.
• Tell your client that all new members will receive a phone list of all active GA members in their area. This can be a welcome support tool.
• New members of GA need to feel safe. You can inform your client that personal anonymity and confidentiality are crucial to the unity of each group and GA holds this principle in the highest regard.
• The buddy system can also be helpful in someone getting to her or his first meeting. Introducing your client to a GA member prior to a first meeting can be comforting for the new member.

Cautioning your client in a couple of areas can also be helpful:

• Too often a new member of GA sees a gambling problem in terms of how much money is lost gambling. An individual may think or say, “I didn’t lose as much as everyone else,” therefore I can’t have a problem. It is important for clients to know that the severity of a gambling problem is measured not by how much money is lost, but by the degree of negative impact that gambling is having on his or her life.
• Members may find the apparent emphasis on spirituality or religion disconcerting. However, spiritual or religious orientation should not be a concern for GA or Gam-Anon membership. It might be helpful to suggest that there are alternative ways of interpreting the idea of a “Power greater than oneself.” For example, if the problem gambler was unable to stop gambling before GA and has now been able to abstain through regular meetings, he or she may view his or her GA group as a “Power greater than themselves.” Likewise, a Gam-Anon member may be an atheist yet find that a sponsor or group was helpful in overcoming a depressed state. If positive change is occurring, the initial goal of GA is to experience and acknowledge that a power greater than oneself is at work in some form.
• Inform the client that although members of GA are brought together through a common problem, each person is in a unique situation and circumstance and everyone is at different levels of recovery. Newer members will tend to speak more about the negative impact that their gambling experiences had on them while longer-standing members focus their dialogue on everyday living problems and how they are learning new coping strategies. New members do not have to agree with everything they hear in order to grow in the program.
• It is also common for newer members to experience a change in their belief systems. What someone may have disagreed with three months ago, can now become a belief that he or she holds. Members have often said, “Six months ago I honestly answered yes to 15 of the 20 questions. Today I can honestly answer yes to 19.” Their beliefs or perceptions of their behaviour can continue to change.
• When counsellors are making a referral to GA they should discuss and contract a time frame appropriate enough for the client to evaluate whether this group is beneficial or not. Too often clients will return to their counsellor after their first GA meeting and say, “This is not for me.” They may be right, but one or two meetings are not enough to make that evaluation. Eight weeks of regular attendance (at least once per week) should be sufficient for a client to determine if GA is helpful or not.

For any additional information regarding the GA or Gam-Anon program, you can contact either your local area contact persons or the head offices directly. If you wish to order any GA or Gam-Anon literature, visit  http://www.gam-anon.org/ or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

Gamblers Anonymous Combo Book. (revised 1999). Los Angeles: International Services Office.

Gamblers Anonymous Group Handbook. (revised 8/1996). Los Angeles: International Services Office.

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